Ghosts, Rootwork, and Fostering Empathy from an Early Age: Eden Royce Discusses Her Debut MG Novel ROOT MAGIC

By Sara Truuvert

How do you teach children about intolerance? How do you teach them about death? How do you introduce to them a culture with which they may not be familiar? You turn to books like Root Magic, the MG debut of author Eden Royce. 

Set in 1963 in South Carolina, Root Magic follows Jezebel Turner and her twin brother, Jay. On their eleventh birthday, their uncle, Doc, says he will teach them rootwork, a family legacy, which opens up a world of magic and the supernatural.

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Happy New Year! Chance for a fresh start....

Happy New Year, all! Not making any New Year's Resolutions. Things went VERY wonky last year, but I'm heading into this fresh, shiny new year with cautious optimism. How about you?

via GIPHY

Humor in children's books, animated GIFs for you to use, Happy Holidays!

via GIPHY

(Note: feel free to use my GIPHY animations in your blog posts, too!)

I find that I always hesitate a bit whenever I hear the phrase, "How are you doing?" There's part of me that feels like answering, "Pandemic-fine." Because like many others out there, I have behind-the-scenes stresses going on that are directly or indirectly related to what's been going on the world these past ten months. I have elders in lockdown at senior homes, friends who are going through especially challenging times, uncertainty in the publishing world, etc.

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Author Shelli R. Johannes, with Co-Author Kimberly Derting and Illustrator Joelle Murray, on LIBBY LOVES SCIENCE: MIX AND MEASURE

By Sara Truuvert

"My daughter said she wasn't going to science camp because 'science was for boys.'"

Shelli R. Johannes had never written a picture book when she heard her daughter's stance on science, but it sparked the idea that she, with co-author and friend Kimberly Derting, would turn into the Loves Science series.  

Libby Loves Science: Mix and Measure is the latest instalment in the series and shows young readers that science is for everyone. When Libby's baking goes awry, can science solve the problem?

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Self-Doubt, Advice for Young Writers, and the Surprising Link Between Science and Art: Christina Li on Her Debut MG Novel, CLUES TO THE UNIVERSE

By Sara Truuvert

Christina Li likes to keep herself busy. At just 14, she began querying literary agents and at 15 pitched live to her current agent. Now, an undergraduate at Stanford University, Christina is making her literary debut with Clues to the Universe. The novel follows Rosalind Ling Geraghty, an outspoken aspiring rocket scientist coping with the recent death of her father, and Benjamin Burns, an introverted artist who is convinced that his long-lost dad created his favourite comic books series.

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For those who are doing NaNoWriMo this year (and for those who aren't)

If you are doing NaNoWriMo this year, good luck! Though chances are good you don't have the time to read this blog post. 

If you attempted NaNoWriMo and gave up partway through, or avoided doing it at all because you knew you wouldn't have the time, don't abandon all hope! Consider doing a more flexible and forgiving challenge, if you are looking for daily motivation. 

Even 100 words a day is better than none! Check out my Daily Writing challenge for those looking for more flexibility in writing and revision.

Nosy Pencil Sharpeners, Making Time To Write and More: Three Questions With Erin Dealey (DEAR EARTH...FROM YOUR FRIENDS IN ROOM 5)

Erin Dealey grew up in Oakland, California, where she often did her homework on the roof of her garage. She has written over a dozen children’s books and dearly hopes her Dear Earth...From Your Friends in Room 5 will find its way to Earth Heroes everywhere. You can find her online at www.erindealey.com and on Twitter at @ErinDealey. I love her positive energy online! And I also love how supportive she is of her fellow kidlit book creators.

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Reminder for writers & Illustrators: All the networking/promo in the world can’t help unless you get your book FINISHED first.

Three Tips For Those Interested In Illustrating Children's Picture Books

I took this photo during the SCBWI Portfolio Showcase

From time to time, I answer a question on Quora about children's book illustration. I do this partly because I like to pay it forward but also because I find it a good writing exercise.

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Q: "How do you become an illustrator or artist for children's books?"

My answer on Quora:

As the others who have answered this question so far have pointed out, there is no one right route to becoming a children’s book illustrator.

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Comparing yourself to others can suck joy out of creating. Find your own pace, savor the journey.

Interview with debut picture book illustrator, Ellie Arscott, whose NIGHT WALK launches from Groundwood Books *TODAY!*

I'm a longtime fan of Ellie Arscott's art, so was especially excited to hear about her debut as a children's book illustrator for NIGHT WALK, a new picture book written by award-winning author Sara O'Leary and illustrated by Ellie. Launching Sept. 29th from Groundwood, their book has already garnered a lot of much-deserved praise, including The Wall Street Journal.

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Comic: Punctuation Police

Happy National Punctuation Day!

Copyright Infringement and Sharing Art Online

I recently got tagged on a post by someone sharing one of my writing-related comics on Twitter. I usually don't mind this, but this time I discovered that the person had purposely stripped out all of my copyright info, name of my comic, URL to my comic and my byline, THEN ADDED THEIR OWN BRANDING.

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Comic: Punctuation Fight

On Illustrators, Advice For Young Writers, Music and more: An Interview With Josh Funk ~ Short & Sweet (Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast #4) Book Tour

I am super-honored to have Inkygirl be the first stop on Josh Funk's SHORT & SWEET book tour! Not just because I'm a big fan of his Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast picture book series with Brendan Kearney and his other books, but also because Josh is such a great champion of fellow book creators, educators and indie booksellers. I met Josh through Nerd Camp Michigan years back.

Short & Sweet is the fourth in the Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast series. In this new adventure, Pancake and Toast fear they are going stale and visit Professor Biscotti, whose faulty gadget transforms them into toddlers, sending them on an adventure in the refrigerator. Praises so far include Top 10 Indie Kids Next List, and a *starred* review in School Library Journal! You can attend the virtual book launch party on Sept. 1st hosted by An Unlikely Story.

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A comic for Oxford comma haters/fans.

Interview: Sue Lowell Gallion and Lisk Feng talk about creating their new board book, OUR WORLD, A FIRST BOOK OF GEOGRAPHY (Phaidon)

Thanks to Sue Lowell Gallion and Phaidon for sending me a copy of OUR WORLD, A FIRST BOOK OF GEOGRAPHY. This unique board board shaped like a globe is written by Sue and beautifully illustrated by Lisk Feng. Here's my livestream about OUR WORLD:

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(Updated) Want to support an author's or illustrator's new book but can't afford to buy it? Here's what you can do.

(Updated July 17, 2020 - also see reader comments in reply to the original post)

The quandary: You want to support someone's new book and as much as you'd like to buy it, you can't. Perhaps you can't justify the cost of the new book right now. Perhaps your author friend is prolific and has multiple books coming out, and you can't afford to get them all. Perhaps you have so many author and illustrator friends that if you tried to buy all their books, you'd need to sell your car first. Or your house.

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If you love a book, write a nice review. It gives the author encouragement on days they want to take up scorpion petting. - Liana Brooks